Wisdom is even better when you have money. Both are a benefit as you go through life. Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life. Ecclesiastes 7:11-12 (NLT).
God is wisdom (Psalm 111:10; 1 Corinthians 1:30), and God’s wisdom is better than any inheritance, wealth, or possession (2 Chronicles 1:7-12). Money can lose its value, be stolen, or lost but God’s wisdom maintains its value and can never be stolen. Even more, God’s wisdom gives greater protection than money. Sadly, people who have wealth but lacks wisdom will often waste their fortunes. However, people with God’s wisdom know how to get and use wealth. If we need God’s wisdom, the Holy Bible teaches us to ask God and God will freely give His wisdom to all who ask (James 1:5).
God is the only One that gives us true and lasting prosperity and wealth without sorrow (Genesis 39:3; Proverbs 10:22). Moreover, biblical prosperity means more than financial wealth, material possessions, or fame. True biblical prosperity is heart and mind peace and well-being that is dependent upon God’s sustaining grace (Psalm 1; Jeremiah 17:7). God blesses those with prosperity who seeks, obeys, and loves Him and does His will here on earth (see Joshua 1:8; 1 Kings 2:2-4; 1 Chronicles 22:13, 19; Matthew 6:33). People who live God’s way receives God’s help, prosperity, and blessing (Psalm 112).
However, God warns His people to never forget that only He is the real source of all blessings and prosperity (Deuteronomy 8:10–18; James 1:17). Moreover, God cautions against placing anyone or anything before Him as God (including intangible possessions such as family, intelligence, or talents) for their security. Christians should depend entirely on God to provide all our daily needs and cares (Matthew 6:25-26) and should give Him thanks as He does.
So, seek God and His wisdom and God will take care of you!
You are correct that wisdom is much more than prosperity, yet includes prosperity--in the Old Testament. The shalom God promises in the covenant made with Israel (through Moses) is that if they obey God's commands, God will bless them with the promised land and prosperity.
ReplyDeleteBut when Jesus brings a new covenant, things change: new commands, new blessings. Now wealth and prosperity are a problem: woe to you are who are rich; blessed are you poor disciples (Lk. 6:20,24). You mention Mt. 6:25-26 (about our daily needs and cares), and Mt. 6:33 (about prosperity), but "all these things added" in 6:33 refer back to the daily needs and cares of 6:25-26, not prosperity. As for the latter, Mt. 6:19 says not to lay up treasures on earth; and 6:24 adds you can't serve God and mammon.
You also refer to James 1:5 and 1:17. The kind of wisdom 1:5 includes is the lowly, poor brother boasting in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation (1:9). Then James 2:5 adds that God has chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom promised to those who love him; in contrast, is it not the rich who oppress you? (2:6). Likewise, when 1:17 speaks of good gifts from above, this would include the wisdom from above that (unlike earthly wisdom which is full of selfish ambition) is pure and full of mercy and good fruits (James 3:15-18). And like Jesus (in Lk. 6:24), James warns the rich about their future judgment (5:1-6).